Excursion to Unexpected Paradise

Hidden Bridge in the Jungle

  This week found us in the normal routine of school and adventure on the weekend.  We initially thought we were going to just hang out, but it turned out that the girls didn't have to tutor on Saturday. So on a whim we decided to go explore a place nearby that we have been wanting to go see.  It turned out to be a special place that we will remember for a long time.  So, sit back and get ready for another O adventure.
 

No I am not advertising.

  Oh wait, before I get to that.  I have a request for prayers and good thoughts.  Cecelia thought that I shouldn't let the cat out of the bag yet, but I want to be prepared going into the important meeting I have on June the 4th.  On June the 4th, I have a meeting at the Consulate Genera'ls office with four Chinese book publishers.  Apparently my little golf book has gotten them excited and they are interested in buying the rights to my book.  If you are not aware, I wrote a small golf book called "Pocket Guide to Perfect Golf Practice".  I self published it on the internet and it has some limited success.  I think I have almost made my initial investment money back.  Anyway, I had a friend translate it into Chinese and the publishers are excited about it.  I am not sure where it will go from the meetings on June 4th, but it can't hurt to be praying for a good outcome.  Let's just say, I would be happy with some up front money and $2 royalty fee per book.  Considering that the golfers in China make up roughly 3% of the 1.8 billion people in the country and that doesn't include the rest of the Southeast Asia market.  I would also be ecstatic if we could capture just 1% of that market.  You can do the math to figure out how great that would be.
  Anyway, onto this week's story.

SCHOOL:  Nothing really to report here except getting a nice picture of the foreign staff.  I have included the picture.  They are really a great bunch of people.

ADVENTURES:  Claire started the adventurous weekend off with a bang on Friday.  A friend of ours that works for Midea invited me and a couple of friends to come and cook in their showroom kitchen.  Midea was doing a special promotion this weekend to show off some of their appliances.  The promotion was designed to have a few foreign people cook western food and then some Chinese people were cooking Chinese food and then they would share.
  I wasn't able to attend so I asked a couple of my foreign friends to go in my place.  The participants that ended up going were my friend that teaches English and Claire.  The other foreign friends either got sick or had to take care of visa paperwork.  So, the two of them left Friday afternoon and ended up at the showroom kitchen.  Claire and my friend ended up cooking pizza and pasta.  They ended up being the hit of the party.  Claire said that it was fun, because she felt like she was on one of those cooking shows that she has seen on TV.  People were cooking and the video cameras and cameras were rolling the entire time.  Who knows, we might see the two of them on the local news show as celebrity chefs.
  The next morning we all slept in.  The girls were scheduled to tutor our friends Cody and Thomas at 9am, but when I checked my phone I had a text saying that the boys couldn't make it because of baseball.  So, we had a leisurely breakfast and I threw out the idea of going to Xiqiao Mountain for the rest of the day.  The girls weren't really up for it, but being the good parents we are, we overruled them and made them go.  They were soon to be pleasantly surprised.
 

Don't Ask, because I don't know.

I made a quick phone call and arranged for a driver to take us to the mountain.  We weren't really sure how we were going to get back, but I had a vague idea about a bus and the metro so we were good to go.  Our driver picked us up and we took the 45 minute car ride to the base of the mountain.  When he dropped us off, we really didn't have a clue about how to tackle our quest.  All of the local maps were written in Chinese and we are not quite at the point of being able to read.  Wait, let me rephrase that; we are still just working on the speaking part, so as far as reading goes, it ain't happening.  Anyway, we deciphered enough to go up this one road to the first entrance.  When we arrived, we were informed that we needed to pay a fee.  Unfortunately we didn't have enough money at the time and Taylor really had to go to the bathroom.  In the end, not having enough money and taking Taylor to find relief ended up being the best.  After the restroom break, we found this local driver that had a really nice van.  At this point already in the day, we were looking for shade or AC.  This van driver had AC and he was a very exuberant fellow.  He spoke so fast that I could only understand about one word in ten, and Taylor, who has the best ear and understands the most could only get maybe two words.  Despite the language barrier we managed to communicate that we needed to get money and food.  Initially we were only going to hire him to take us to town, but he made a great sales pitch and offered to take us to McDonald's to get lunch.  This guy was so excited to be our guide for the day, the we had to get photos with him and his van.  He even took pictures of us eating McDonald's in the back of his van.
  After the quick ride into town for the money and food, our driver then proceeded to take us to the first of our many surprise hikes.  We initially thought that he was just going to drive us and we were going to site see from the comfort of the air conditioned van.  Thankfully despite the heat, he guided us to our first trail head.  He then gave me a map and showed me where we were.  He then communicated, albeit through polite hand gestures, pantomime and some Chinese that we did understand that he was dropping us off and we were to meet him at the end of the trail where he was going to drive the van.

  We began the hike and came very quickly to a very interesting rock formation called The Nine Dragons Cavern.  It is a cave with a bunch of holes worn into the side of it.  We climbed up to the mouth of the first and had another family picture taken.
  Following the The Nine Dragons Cavern experience we began, what we discovered to be one of the best hidden experiences in China.  The reason I say this, is because when you look for things about Xiqiao mountain the first thing that comes up is information about the giant Kwan Yin statue situated at the top of the mountain.  Our initial quest to the mountain was just to go to the Kwan Yin.  We wanted to compare this statue to the one in Hong Kong.  But, the mountain is so much more than just going to the temple and the statue.  It is a dormant volcano, with an amazing jungle and quarry encompassed in the folds of the earth.
  Anyway, we continued down the trail that took us on an Indiana Jones type of adventure through rock outcroppings, over streams and under the jungle canopy, all the while being tantalized by a myriad of types of butterflies of all shapes, sizes and colors.  The butterflies were so prolific that we thought we were in a butterfly sanctuary like the one we experienced in Thailand.  The difference here was that there were so many different kinds that it was hard to keep track.  With the green jungle as the backdrop and the plethora of colors from the butterflies, we felt like we were walking through a rainbow.

I swear, in real life their was a misty fog coming out!!!

As well as experiencing the jungle and butterflies, we kept feeling a refreshing breeze and change in the temperature as we walked.  We were soon to find out why.  A number of large openings were in the face of the cliffs and a cool breeze was blowing through them.  There was even one that was a hole with Chinese writing on the outside that you could walk into.  The girls were scared at first because the air was so cool inside the entrance that it was literally creating a foggy mist that covered the entrance when it came in contact with the hot humid air on the outside. They happily followed as Cecelia led the way into the gaping maw of the dragon's mouth. It was really cool, figuratively and literally.  After entering and checking out the cave, we went back  outside and almost turned around to hang out inside some more because the humidity and heat hit us like a wave.
  We then ventured a little farther and found the most amazing cavern and rock quarry that I have ever seen.  The entrance to the cavern was so huge that the Chinese have built a wading pool in it.  Also, there are remnants of what used to be a swimming pool, literally carved out of the rock.  A little further inside the quarry there are boats, with guides that can be rented to float the waters of the quarry and cavern.  It was a very surreal feeling.  At one point I looked at our guide standing in the back of our boat, and I must have had a moment of heat hallucination because I swear he was wearing one of those black cowels where you can't see the guy's face and he was pointing at things with a skeletal finger.  I wondered if we had accidentally venture onto the river Styx.  I was broken from my revelry when Claire splashed me in the back with the cold water from the cavern.  The water was very cold and amazingly clear.  We guessed you could see some of the bottom rock formations at about 20 to 30 feet down.  After our short tour, we finished our hike on the first trail and met our intrepid guide, exactly where he said he would be.  With a loud "Hallo!!" and a wave of his hand we were escorted to the sanctuary of the air conditioned van.

This was really cool!!

  A short drive later, our guide pulled us over and sent us on another trail.  This one was shorter, but definitely had its own unique qualities.  There were many writings inscribed on the cliff faces and there was a bit of a harrowing trek through the crevice of a couple of rock caverns.  The streams and waterfalls were definitely a treat.  The water was cool and clear.  We didn't drink it, but we saw many Chinese people having, what looked like a very refreshing taste.  The water alone, helped to do away with another stereotype that we have had about China.  Not all of the water is polluted and unappealing.  Now granted, I didn't do a water test on it, but I would venture to guess that the filtration system through all of the limestone and volcanic rock does a pretty good job filtering it.  I would even go so far as saying it is better than the radon and iron filled water that we get from Hillview at home.
  Once again our fearless leader was waiting for us at the bottom.  He then escorted us a few meters down the road and dropped us off.  This next trek was to be the toughest of all.  We were finally at the bottom of the hill that led to the Buddhist Temple and the giant Kwan Yin.
  At this point I should tell you what the weather report was for the day.  It was 93 degrees with 99% humidity.  I had never heard of 99% humidity.  Even when visiting my brother in Atlanta or Virginia during the summer, I never experience 99% humidity.  When it reaches 100% does that mean we start drowning, because we are not breathing in air at that point, but water?
  Anyway, we began our way up to the top of the mountain.  Along the way, there are rest stops with different chapels and different Buddhas housed inside.  It is a very peaceful and tranquil place and many people go there to worship and pray.
  About a fourth of the way up, the monks have their residence and there is a little shop that sells incense, tea and ice cream.  Taylor and Claire had to grab some on the way up.  We figured that it couldn't hurt, since with the temperature and farther to climb, they would burn it off.
  At this point we had yet to see the Kwan Yin, which is amazing, since it is the second largest in China.  The one in Hong Kong is third and there is one on an island in China that is the largest.  The one on the island is so large, that is why it has its own island.
  After arriving at a large flat area, we rounded the corner and got our first glimpse of the Kwan Yin.  At this point, the girls started counting.  After 278 stairs, they arrived at the Kwan Yin.  To put it simply, it is massive.  I thought the one in Hong Kong was big, but this one was noticeably larger.  It is 61.9 meters tall and stands on the pinnacle of the mountain.  As big and as awe inspiring as it is, I didn't feel as much peace at this one as I did the one in Hong Kong.  After thinking about it, I think the reason is that the one in Hong Kong is more remote.  It is also tucked in sort of a canyon, where this one is out in the open and can be seen from the city miles below.

Those two little blue ants, are Claire and Taylor.

  Now don't get me wrong, this is definitely a sight to see.  Just being near it and taking in the massive structure that it is, can be difficult to comprehend.  The other unique quality to this Kwan Yin compared to the other, is that the copper is brighter and it has some very interesting striations in the metal.  Cecelia thought that the colors made it look like it had war paint on the face.
  On the inside of the statue you can go up stair cases much like you can in the Statue of Liberty, but on each floor their are rows and rows of miniature Kwan Yin statues with candles burning in front of them.  People can pay a small fee and place a prayer candle in front, much like you can do at many denominations of churches.
  Thankfully after exploring around the Kwan Yin and the surrounding area, our guide had driven up the hill and met us at a midway point, so that we didn't have to walk all the way back down.
  At this point we were all getting a little tired and were ready to call it a day.  Our guide had one more surprise up his sleeve.  He drove us a little way down the hill and dropped us off at a small lake.  He then instructed us to take a leisurely stroll around the lake and meet him on the other side.  It was a very pleasant walk and we had an opportunity to see the Loch Ness Dragon and sample some Dragon Saliva.  We didn't actually drink the Dragon Saliva, but the girls had a nice cooling fight with the water.  Nothing better than getting Dragon drool thrown on you to make you really appreciate how hot it really is outside.  At the end of our stroll we discovered that the lake was actually a reservoir that formed in the mouth of the extinct volcano.  I am also not kidding about the Loch Ness Monster, we did see it and I have definitive photos of it.
  After our little stroll around the lake, we met our guide and he took us to one last trail.  The last trail was beautiful.  It was a park with ponds, waterfalls and brilliant flowers planted everywhere.  It was finished off with a short hike through a bamboo forest, and to our amazement we finished across the street from the very first trail we started on that led us to the Nine Dragons Cavern.

Ok, so it might not be Nessy, and I know we are China but I told you we saw something.

  The best thing about the entire day was all of the little surprises.  From the Gaudi like bridge that went across the little hidden pond full of lilies to our joyful little tour guide.  It was amazing and blissfully intoxicating to the senses.  This is the kind of place that if we lived here longer, would be at the top of our list to explore more.  I had visions of riding my mountain bike here as well.  Cecelia thought it would be nice as well, except for the uphill climb to the beginning of the first trail.  Oh well, not everything is perfect to some people.
  Sunday was a nice end.  We went out to Junon Golf with Mr. Qiu and his family.  They have hired me to be the coach for their daughter.  The payment is a membership for me and my family with all expenses taken care of at the club.  We practiced in the morning, had a great lunch, took a nap and then played golf.  After golf we headed back home.  We arrived at home to a rousing thunder storm and rain shower.
  All and all, it was a nice way to start the week.
  I have put together a little slide show to add to the story for this week.  Enjoy, and don't forget to pray for June 4th. Here is the link for the video.  A Paradise in China    

Mothers Day in The Inner Kingdom

 

  Well I hope this day finds all of you thanking the mothers in your life.  They are all special and this blog is dedicated to all of them.  So, here's to all of you Mothers out there that take care of not only the little kids, but the big kids as well.  I wish you a great day and may you feel appreciated the way you should.

SCHOOL:  My Ordeal is Done!!!!  Thank you Lord and Nate for helping me to get through this difficult time.
  Claire had a great week, but I can't tell you about her AOI week. Just like a typical teenager she went on a three day field trip but couldn't give us any details about where she went or what she did.  This is a sample of the kind of conversations we had.
  Claire:  Hey Dad.
  Dad:  Hey Claire, how's it going?
  Claire:  Oh it is going just fine,  but I fell down the stairs and sprained my ankle again.
  Dad:  Are you OK?
  Claire:  Yeah, they put some cream on it and gave me a big bandage.
  Dad:  Is it feeling better?

My Favorite Statue

 Claire:  Yeah, it was good enough that I went on a really cool zipline today.
  Dad:  Oh great, where was that?
  Claire:  I don't know?
  Dad:  What do you mean you don't know?
  Claire:  I don't remember the name, it is just some lake.
  Dad:  Did you write it down, or get a pamphlet?
  Claire:  No
  Dad:  How come?
  Claire:  I don't know.
  Dad:  Well, did you at least get some good pictures?
  Claire:  No.
  Dad:  How come, was there a problem with the camera?
  Claire:  No, I accidentally left the camera in my room with my backpack.
  Dad:  So, do you have any idea where you are?
  Claire:  No, but we did see a cool Dinosaur museum as well.
  Dad:  What was it called?
  Claire:  I don't remember.
  Dad:  Is there anything else you can tell me about your trip?
  Claire:  Nope, that's about it.  I need to go it is almost lights out.
  Dad:  Ok, well I love you.
  Claire:  I love you too Dad, I will see you in a day or so.
  Dad:  Ok, well keep having fun.
  The scary thing is that based on the conversations that I had with my daughter, even if I had the special skills that Liam Niesson had in Taken, I don't think it would have helped.  Thank goodness they have special VIP kids on these trips that have their own security force and some of them are Claire's friends.

Starbucks in the French Quarter

ADVENTURES:  This week was geared around the upcoming Mother's Day weekend,  you may or may not be surprised to know that Mothers Day is celebrated pretty much the same here in China as it is in the United States.  Mothers are showered with flowers, cards and taken to wonderful dinners.  So, I was pretty much planning for the traditional day, by setting up the weekend to come. 
  We got a special surprise during the week and went to dinner with my friend David and his family.  We met him, his wife, son, mother and friend from Schenzhen at a restaurant not far from our home.  The dinner was amazing, but to top off the evening we took a walk through the restaurant.  The restaurant is an art gallery in itself.  There were sculptures, fountains and paintings that were a festival of color and texture.  The favorite of the family was a sculpture that was on the floor.  It was a raised relief of clouds.  It was designed to be walked on and David told us that the reason in China to walk on cloud sculptures was that they clouds take your troubles away and give you peace and tranquility.  His story about it while we were walking amongst the clouds was great.  We actually felt peaceful and satisfied.  That feeling could have come from the wine and good food we had before our walk, but I am sticking with the clouds.

French and Chinese Together

  The rest of the week was pretty quiet and we had a real nice Friday, just hanging out watching movies.  On Saturday we all slept in and continued to recuperate from our seven day work week.  Saturday afternoon we packed up and headed for Guangzhou to begin celebrating Mother's Day weekend.  We rode the scooters over to the metro and and then took it to a place that we have been wanting to explore.  When Paul was with us here in China we kept wanting to go to this place called Shamian Island. 
   According to Wikipidia, Shamian Island was an important port for Guangzhou's foreign trade from the Song to the Qing  Dynasty.^[2] From the 18th to the mid 19th century, the foreigners lived and did business in a row of houses known as the Thirteen Factories, near present Shamian,^[4] which was then an anchorage for thousands of boat people.^[5][6] Shamian became a strategic point for city defense during the period of the First and Second Opium Wars. In 1859,^[2] the territory was divided in two concessions given to France and the United Kingdom (of which 3/5 belonged to the British and 2/5 to the French).^[7] It was connected to the mainland by two bridges, which were closed at 10pm as a security measure.^[4][8] The English bridge to the north was guarded by Sikhs, and the French bridge to the east was guarded by Vietnamese French troops.
  One of the really cool things that we found here was The Chapel of Lourdes.  The chapel was a working Catholic Church with a grotto that was created to look like Lourdes itself.

The inside of Shamian Church of Our Lady of Lourdes

  Shamian is a very popular place.  There were many photo shoots happening while we were wandering the central garden.  We will definitely be back to explore a bit more.
  After Shamian we made our way over to our favorite shopping mall and book store.  We had about an hour and a half to kill before we met some friends for dinner.

Our Lady of Lourdes built in 1890

  Dinner with our friends Nate and Erin was outstanding.  We ate at a restaurant called Element Fresh.  I have mentioned it before in previous blogs.  It has some great Western cuisine to take care of our fix for food from home.  You can't eat Chinese food all the time.
  We then made our way to a hotel that we like in Guangzhou.  We were spending the night so that we could have a leisure morning before church.
  The next morning we woke up and headed to our favorite breakfast restaurant, Starbucks!!  The girls did a good job the day before picking out cards for Cecelia.  They found some very unique ones, made out of wood.  They also had great messages on them.  We had a nice time together before we headed off to church.
  Church was very nice and the theme was obviously Mother's Day.  The priest did a great job comparing the love that Christ has for us, to the love that a mother has toward her children.  It is pure and unconditional.  The message was a great way to start off our day.
  We then ventured over to Haizu Square and met another one of our friends for Sunday brunch.  The restaurant we chose is called Rendevous.  The buffet was outstanding and came with a main course.  I know I have said it before, but you gotta love eating out in China.  I paid for lunch and it came to about $60 for six of us.

This is the Mother we celebrated on Mothers Day!!!!!

   After brunch we headed out to do a little shopping for our usual monthly staples, cheese, butter and cashews.
  We then headed home and topped our weekend off with a nap and a quiet dinner.  It was a very enjoyable weekend.

  

An Extraordinary Cetacean Experience - Bonus Blog

I know, another Christmas family picture!!!

  Hello Everyone.  This is a bonus blog from the Philippines.  This would have made the previous blog a novel so I decided to break it down into two parts.  I know you will enjoy this one, and it is OK to get a little teary eyed during the video.  Cecelia and I did, but maybe that was because Claire is our daughter, but I don't know.  Maybe it was because this is just one of those really cool experiences that doesn't happen very often.  Kind of like, anyone other than Tiger winning the Masters.  I always tear up when someone else wins, I guess because I just expect him to win every time.  Come on, I had to get a golf plug in somehow, I haven't given you one for a while.
  Anyway, this blog is dedicated to our new friends at Ocean Adventure Water Park in Subic Bay. We particularly want to thank Paulo for his personal care and education that he gave Claire on her special day. The entire staff treated us and Claire to one of the most amazing days that we have had thus far.  That is really saying something, since we have had so many great experiences so far.  So, onto our story.
  Thursday morning in the Philippines we had to be up early in order to get to Ocean Adventure.  This was to be Claire's big day.  She had been waiting for this birthday present for eight years.  I was just hoping that it wasn't going to be a disappointing day.  I was soon to be pleasantly surprised.

Paulo surfing two dolphins at once.  Awesome!!!!

  The staff emailed me and told us to be there at 8:15, but when we arrived, nobody seemed to know that we were coming.  It didn't matter, they gave us a personal guide to view the aquariums and let us know what was going on until the main guide arrived.
  The first thing on Claire's agenda was to learn how to train a sea lion.  We went to the Sea Lion area and were met by the trainers there.  She was first instructed in hand motions and then how to use the positive reinforcement clicker.  I wanted to ask if the clicker would work in the classroom, but I refrained.  I figured if it worked for sea lions, it should work for kids in the classroom right?  I don't know, maybe sea lions are smarter than our kids.  She was then introduced to her trainee Taguila.  Taguila was a young south American Sea Lion.  He was a very nice sea lion.  Up close he reminded us of a dog with flippers.  Anyway, Claire had Taguila clap, roll over, shake and then do a flipper stand.  The best part of the training was when Taguila gave all the girls kisses.  Nothing like a wet, sloppy squid smelling smooch first thing in the morning.  I didn't get one, because someone has to be the photographer.
  After the encounter with Taguila, Claire was then taken over to the dolphin class.  She got some instruction on Dolphins and Whales, like she didn't know the stuff already.  Next, she was given a life vest and ushered to the water's edge.  At this point Cecelia and I were a little disappointed to find out that she was meeting the dolphin with four other people.  As far as we knew, Claire was the only one signed up to be the trainer for the day.  Apparently though, there were people that signed up  for the dolphin enounter, so they combined the group.  Even though there was only one dolphin and five people, she spent quite a bit of time with the dolphin, because the other people were so timid.  During this encounter she rode on the dolphin's belly to the dock, had a splashing fight with it and got to do some dancing as well.  The really great stuff happened after this.
  When Claire finished with the dolphin we had to hurry over to see the African Acrobats.  This was a unique show that featured amazing acrobats that did all kinds of balancing positions with up to five people.  The theme of the show was based on how we need the rain forests to balance out the warming of the planet and to recycle.  It was a very good show and some of the moves were amazing.
  We thought we had some free time until the dolphin show in the afternoon.  We figured that Claire would be doing the same kind of thing that Cecelia did at Sea World.  When Cecelia was in the Dolphin show at Sea World, she got to stand on stage in her matching trainer wetsuit and clap while the dolphin show was introduced.  We were soon to find out that Claire's experience was going to be a bit more extensive than that.
  We had a bit of free time, so we decided to head over and get a bite to eat.  While we were walking over to the cafe, one of the park guides came up to us and told us that they needed Claire right away.  Claire didn't even think twice about getting something to eat, so Taylor, Cecelia and I went foraging for food.  While we were standing in line, we happened to look out the window and there was Claire standing out in the middle of the tanks meeting the rest of the dolphins and the false killer whale that is at the park.  We found out later that she was being guided around to meet the animals by the head trainer Paulo.  Paulo was great.  He spent quite a bit of time teaching Claire about the animals and doing some of the hand signals that they use while training the animals.  While with Paulo, she got her first bath from a dolphin.  Claire and Paulo then left the tanks and walked back over to a different beach than the one in which she encountered the first dolphin.  We followed and tried to stay back to be unobtrusive as possible.  We then got a great surprise, the trainers had taken Claire to the different beach because they called in two more dolphins.  She was asked to come into the water with Paulo and she fed the dolphins that were to be in the show later.  Can you say BONUS!!!  It was awesome watching her feed and pet the animals.
  After feeding the dolphins she was given back to us, with strict orders to be back at the dolphin arena 30 minutes before showtime.

Forget about it boys, Claire has a new boyfriend and he bites!!!

  In the meantime we took a break from the sun and went to watch the Sea Lion show.  Taguila wasn't in the show, but it was fun and entertaining anyway.  Before the show ended, one of the park guides was motioning for us to come with her.  I took Claire and we followed her to the Dolphin Arena.  She sat us down and then we waited until it was time for her to meet with the trainers.  We waited and waited and waited.  This was the only time that we actually thought they forgot about her.  The crowd started to fill up the stadium and then a different guide came and took Claire from us.
  The show began with a drum line from the local tribe and then one of them blowing an amazing sound through a shell.  The MC then came out to do an introduction of the dolphins.  They came flying out from their enclosures and started jumping and flipping.  They then made their way over to the little dock where all the trainers had walked out onto.  To our great delight Claire was there in the middle of them.  As we watched, the MC talked about the dolphins and how amazing they are at learning and doing tricks.  Unlike Cecelia's experience, Claire was giving the dolphins the hand signals and they would go do their commands.  They would then come back and she would feed and love on them.  She then left for a little while and the trainers brought out the false killer whale.  The trainers did some wild acrobatic moves, like being flipped up in the air.  My favorite activity that they did was surf on the back of the dolphins.  After the wild and crazy acrobatics, they brought Claire back out and then asked a little boy to come down from the stands.  Claire was now working with the false killer whale named Tonka.  While working with Tonka, Claire did some hand motions and she got soaked by the whale this time.  By now, Cecelia and I were having a very difficult time watching.  The reason we were having a difficult time was, because Cecelia was tearing up and then I noticed her and then teared up myself.  Sometimes it's emotional watching your kid have an amazing, lifetime experience.  It is also very difficult to take pictures while tearing up.  The show ended and we went down to finish meeting all the trainers and staff.  We thanked them for the wonderful day.
  After all the excitement we decided to take a break by having some lunch and snorkeling at the Cayaman resort nearby.  We ended our day at six pm and headed home to have dinner with Sonny and Leslie.        
  The last surprise of the day was another homemade meal from Sonny when we arrived.  Unfortunately Leslie was not feeling well that evening.  We shared our day with Sonny and then headed off to bed.  All in all it was an amazing day. 

View from Leslie and Sonny's deck in the morning.

  The Philippines is an amazing place in its diversity both ecologically and economically.  There are supposed to be better tourist areas, but I am glad we had the experiences of a lifetime in the Subic Bay/Olongapo area.
  Here is the link to the video for the week.  Enjoy!!  http://sdrv.ms/12if3EO

Renewal and Relaxation in the Philippines

View from Leslie and Sonny's front Porch

   Hello Everyone.  I hope you all had a great week and pray that everyone is happy and healthy.  I haven't dedicated the blog to anyone in a while, but this week I am dedicating it to our friends Sonny and Leslie that live in the Subic Bay area, north of Manila.  Their grace and hospitality last week were outstanding.  They really helped us to recharge our batteries both physically and mentally.

This is what hangs from their awning. Beautiful!!!

SCHOOL:  No School last week, we were in the Philippines if you haven't figured that out by now.  I am going to use this space to tell you about our amazing hosts Sonny and Leslie.
  I met Leslie in Oakhurst during the summer of 1996.  She was a board member on the Bass Lake School Board at the time.  She was one of the people that actually hired me to teach at OCI.  After that, Leslie and I became friends.  We collaborated or conspired to pull off one of the greatest practical jokes in the history of the district.  You can either ask her about it or check with me later to get the details.  Anyway, over the years we have kept in contact through various means of communication.  While we were in Thailand this year, we just missed her and Sonny.  Sonny, who is a very gifted musician was doing a concert in Thailand and we weren't able to get together, so she invited us to their home in the Philippines for our next vacation.
  Many of you from the Oakhurst area know Leslie and her background.  I am going to focus on what she has been doing for the last six or seven years.  Leslie has been a leader and trainer for YWAM (Youth With A Mission) and in the Subic Bay area she has created a program called Project Life. Now I cannot even begin to go into all the details about YWAM.  They have an outstanding website that you can go to in order to get more details.  I do want to tell you a little about some of the amazing things being done in Project Life which Leslie and Sonny are involved in near where they live.

The poor fishing village in which Leslie and Sonny do some of their work.

  I hope that Leslie forgives me for abbreviating the project.  In a nutshell, Leslie, Sonny and their team are teaching people how to fish.  I don't mean in the literal sense of that phrase, but in the terms of helping people to change their way of life in order to fend for themselves and to help lead their community out of poverty.  While we were staying with them, Leslie and Sonny shared many stories about how people have changed their lives through education and training.  Here are just a few things that I can remember from our conversations.  Leslie is very knowledgeable in regards to health issues and has been teaching the people about how to take care of themselves and to stay away from bad water.  She is teaching mothers about the benefits of breast feeding rather than using formula.  Most of the families cannot afford the correct amount of formula to give the infants proper nutrition.  It is better for the baby to breast feed and the families can save the money to by more food and basic supplies. 

 Her crew is also teaching the people skills like sewing.  They make bags that can be sold to help out the families and community.  Not only has she taught them about physical skills, but leadership skills themselves.  I got chills when she told the story about how she wanted to accomplish something in the slums and the people that they had trained, said that they would take care of it.  The reason I got chills is because she isn't doing it all, the people are beginning to take pride in themselves and want the community to change.  They can see the hope and are willing to do the work.  Leslie said it best when she mentioned that by having the local leaders take the lead, they are more effective than outsiders coming in and telling them how to do it.  I was very inspired and touched by many of the success stories.    
  This is an impoverished place.  Probably the worst I have seen in my life.  One of the biggest problems that they face is the annual flooding.  The rains come and the estuaries begin to fill with the rain water and the tides from the nearby bay.  If this was fresh water it wouldn't be so bad, but the water that backs up into the slums is all the sewage water from the nearby housing community and slums.
  God has definitely used them as tools to not only spread his word, but create hope in a very impoverished community.  I know that I have probably done a poor job glossing over all the great work that they have done, so here is a link to follow that will give you more details.  The video on the blog is exceptionally good.  Project Life Blog.
  By the way, if you go to the website please encourage Leslie to continue to share the frustrations and the wins of the ministry.  It does us all good to see the struggles that go along with the hard work.  It makes the rewards that much sweeter.  I only say this, because Leslie mentioned that what she appreciated about my blog is to hear that I am going through some of the same stuff she deals with.  She is not the only one that has commented about this.  Another person said to me that the struggles are what make it real and personal.
  I have to confess, despite volunteering in the ministry for many years I have always felt a compulsion to keep my money at home because I could keep tabs on the success of the mission work being done at home.  I guess I grew up not appreciating what goes on with missions in the rest of the world.  I also, think it is because when I was growing up my parents and grandparents got scammed by people that said they were doing work abroad and really never did anything.  Isn't always that way, the few ruin the reputation of the many.   Maybe I needed an eye opener like this to renew my faith in people like Leslie and Sonny that put their heart and soul into what they are doing.  I thank the Lord for this opportunity and really appreciate what he is doing with them.
  One final thing.  I am encouraging Leslie and Sonny to start a retreat slash B and B at either their home or a nearby home.  Sonny and Leslie are outstanding hosts and some of the money that they make would probably benefit their ministry as well.  They have the potential to create something very much like our Caboose.  Subic Bay is a great place to not only go on an Eco Adventure but a Human Renewal Adventure.  If you want to go and stay or support Leslie and Sonny, you can email, Facebook or call me, as well as visit their project on Facebook or the blog link I gave you above.

ADVENTURE:  Well if you thought that the previous section was enough adventure, guess again!!  We are the O's and we try to pack as much life into one week as possible.  One of our friends that has taught here for a few years describe us best.  He said and I quote, "You have done more in nine months, than some people that have lived here have done in five years."  I don't know if that is true or not, but it sure is funny how people that have lived here for a couple of years ask us how to get to certain places.  Also, Cecelia described our adventure here like this.  She describe our adventures here, as a Chinese person going to the United States and trying to  see it all in one year while working full time.  Not happening, but we are damn well trying!!!!  Onto other things.

I think one of them is Dracula.

  Much of what I mentioned in the previous section was learned from Leslie and Sonny as they took us adventuring around the Subic Bay, Olongapo area.  The day after we arrived from our marathon travel adventure,(if you didn't read last week's blog, then you have to go back and read it first to get that story). Leslie and Sonny greeted us with coffee and breakfast.  Sonny makes an outstanding cup of coffee by the way.  After breakfast Leslie took us out for a tour of the area and had a couple of special surprises for us.  
  We first headed out to the old Navy base and she showed us some of the improvements that had been made.  Along the way she pointed out the slums where she and Sonny do ministry.  Near the old Airbase we stopped to get our first glimpse of some of the natural inhabitants in the area.  When we first got out, they had us look up in the trees.  Hanging in the trees were thousands of these huge black things.  At first we thought they were large seed pods from some of the local trees, until they started moving.  They weren't just moving, they were dropping out of the trees and flying.  We realize that we were looking at thousands and thousands of fruit bats.  Now if you are squeamish about bats, this is not the place for you.  When these things drop out of the trees, they are so big that they remind me of the Batman movies when he comes swooping down out of the darkness to take out some bad guys in a darkened ally.  They also call them flying foxes.  They are aptly named.  Just imagine a jet black small dog with leathery wings flying around while you are sitting out on your deck in the evening.  Yeah, Creepy with a capital C!!!!
  The next leg of our adventure came when Leslie and Sonny took us to the Zoobic.  The Zoobic was small, but really cool.  It was kind of a combination walking zoo with a driving safari. 

Yes, that is Tiger drool on my lens!!

  The first thing we did was see some tigers up close and personal.  We saw the typical tigers in cages, but then we went on a short but crazy drive through an enclosed area in which the trainers fed chicken to the tigers through the wire mesh of the vehicle in which we were enclosed.  Thank God for strong wire mesh, because when you get up close and personal with a hungry tiger, it is a totally different experience from the cute and cuddly places we have been before.  You know it is serious when you get tiger drool on your camera and shirt, as well as a full view of fangs and tiger, chicken breath blowing into the vehicle.  I have included some pictures that say it all.  Remember a picture is worth a thousand words.  I just saved you a bunch of reading.

The faces say it all.

  After the experience of Tiger spit on my camera lens, we were then led to where the tigers wait until it is their turn to go into the chicken feeding compound.  Now, we have experienced tigers in various settings in our travels, but I can honestly say that this is the only time I have been scared.  The reason I got a little scared is because in two of the cages their were a couple of tigers that were the biggest and most powerful animals we have seen.  The largest tiger we saw was over 300 kilos, which in our measurement system is about 700lbs.  But, the size of the tiger was only a part of why it was frightening.  The other part was that it was pacing and roaring at a tiger that was outside of its cage.  Let me tell you, when a 700lb tiger roars, it scares the hell out of you and it feels like chain link isn't enough protection.  Finally the one thing that the trainers really warned us about was that when the tigers are pacing, watch out for them raising their tales.  If they raise their tales they told us to run like hell, unless you wanted to smell like the backside of a tiger all day.  They have a tendency to spray innocent bystanders outside of their cages, because they feel like the bystander is violating their territory.  Thank goodness nobody ended up with a musk shower.
  After our tiger experience we drove through the park and saw some of the tamer animals like, ostriches, goats, camels and pot bellied pigs.  It was a nice reprieve after the tiger encounter.

The Warrior Dance

 We then headed to the next surprise that was in store for us.  We had a private viewing of some of the indigenous people dancing.  They gave us a demonstration of the Monkey Dance, Warrior Dance and the Dragonfly Dance.  Cecelia and I were most impressed with the Dragon Fly Dance, because the guy did this thing with his shoulders that would have put me out of commission for a month.  The really cool thing that we learned about the dancers and some of the vendors is that the Zoobic is run solely by the indigenous tribe.  They take great pride in their work and it shows.  The other thing that is impressive, is their use of the old ammunition bunkers that are littered all over the park.  Some of them are houses for animals and others are used for animal supplies.  One had actually been turned into a baby animal hospital.

Look at them chompers!!

  Finally, we made our way to the crocodile fishing pond.  Now, you are probably thinking to yourself crocodile fishing, never heard of that.  Well, crocodile fishing is a huge pond full of crocodiles with a walkway going over it.  Now, all of the crocodiles were docile and not moving until they handed me a pole with fishing line on the end of it.  I promptly tied Taylor's ankle to the end of the string and threw her over the walkway.  You should have seen how quickly the crocodile woke up.  I was just kidding about the Taylor thing, but they did give the girls poles with chicken tied to the end of a line. 

Here Croccy, Croccy, Croccy!!

  The girls then proceeded to dip the chicken down into the crocodile pen.  The crocodiles would sit mesmerized for long moments, just focusing on the chicken.  Taylor even got to the point that she was trying to hypnotize them and turn them into vegetarians.  It worked well until one of them jumped really high and stole her chicken off the string.  After pretending that we were Captain Hook from Peter Pan, we then drove down to Ocean Adventure.  We were going to be spending Thursday at Ocean Adventure so Leslie wanted to make sure we knew where to go.
  On the way back home, we spotted some of the wild monkeys on the side of the road.  They were very cute and there were a couple of babies in the group.  This is the first place we have been in which there are actual wild monkeys.
  Just before we got back to the house, Leslie dropped us off at a beach resort that had a place to sit and swim.  We hung out there for a few hours and then met Leslie and Sonny for dinner.  That was the end of our first full day in the Philippines. 
  The next day was just a beach day.  We hung out all day at a place called White Rock.  It had a private beach and water park.  We spent the morning swimming in the bay and playing on a giant blow up slide.  The water park then fired up and we spent most of the afternoon playing on the slides and wave tanks.  We ended the day by swimming in the bay again and then headed for home.  We were excited because Sonny was cooking us an authentic Philippine dinner.
  That evening we had Chicken Mango soup served over rice.  Chicken and Carrot Lumpia and finally ice cream and cake to celebrate Cecelia and Claire's birthdays.  Oh by the way, we had this amazing meal on the top deck of the house, watching the sunset over Subic Bay.

View from the deck

  This is not the end of the story.  I am adding a bonus blog that will be out later this week about a special event that happened.  Stay Tuned!!!!


 
 

Planes, Trains, Taxis, Busses and Ferries!!!!

My intrepid traveling companions.  There are none better than these!!!

Well Hello!!!  Sorry that this one is late, but haven't had the time to sit down and write.  This will be a short, but interesting one.  Enjoy!

SCHOOL:  Nothing to report, other than a very long seven day work week.  We were definitely ready for a vacation.

ADVENTURES:  This week found us having dinner with my friend David and his family and then preparing for a week long excursion to the Philippines.  The adventure truly began on Sunday afternoon when we finished teaching and headed for the train station to catch the fast train to Schenzen.  We had packed up all we needed into our backpacks and were ready to go as soon as school was finished at 2:40.  When we travel to the islands of Southeast Asia we always pack very light.

On the first bus

 When you are on a tropical island, what more do you need than a swimsuit and a couple of shirts?  I typically wear one and then switch to the other the next day.  I wash the first one by hand and then lay it out to dry while I wear the new one.  Besides, we are in and out of the ocean so often that they really don't get all that dirty.
  Enough about my tropical laundry routine.  When we road our motos over to the train station at roughly three in the afternoon, we discovered that the only train tickets available were for seven hours later.  We decided to buy them and then go have dinner, rest and then return.  When we got back to the front gate of the community in which we live, we decided on a whim to check the bus schedule for Shenzhen.  It just so happened that there was a bus leaving in ten minutes and that there were seats available.  We decided to bail out on the train and jumped on the bus.  We figured a three hour bus ride was better than waiting seven hours.  Besides, the idea of trying to find a hotel at midnight wasn't very appealing.

 We made it to Shenzhen at around eight and took a cab to the nearest metro station.  We then rode the metro to a place called Sea World.  Sea World isn't a theme park with whales and dolphins.  It is just an area that is near the sea, that has some nice hotels and restaurants.  We have stayed there before and the girls really wanted Mexican food for dinner.  It is the only place in China that we have found good Mexican food.
  We enjoyed our meal and then headed for our hotel.  We learned a very valuable lesson that evening.  The lesson is this, just because you have stayed at a place and it was very nice the first time, always make them show you the room.  The room we got was not as nice as the first one and it smelled of mold.  We ended up having a restless night of sleep and getting up early to head to Hong Kong. 
  We were heading to the Hong Kong Airport early to see if we could catch an earlier flight.  We had mistakenly booked our plane for the wrong time and wanted to get to Manila earlier than 12 o clock at night.  We decided to take the ferry from Shenzhen to Hong Kong.  It was very pleasant and took us closer to the airport than riding the metro all the way from Shenzhen.  After arriving in Hong Kong and clearing immigration we jumped on the metro to the airport.  We arrived at the airport at around 11 am.  We were hoping catch the next plane out, which was at 1:30pm.  Philippines Airlines was very gracious and accommodating.  They made the change for us and didn't charge us extra.  On top of that, they got us seats all together.  By the time we were finished we had just enough time to rush through security and then get to the gate.  Thank goodness for packing light, it really does make a difference when traveling.  Also, the nice thing was the plane was late arriving so we had time to catch our breath and grab a bite to eat.  The bonus at this point, was there was a Starbucks located very near the gate.  I know I have mentioned it before, but Starbucks is really a Godsend in this part of the world.

The ship set sail on a 3 hr. tour ..............

 After a short wait we jumped on the plane and headed for Manila.  We arrived in Manila around two hours later.  When we got to Manila I had a couple of messages waiting for me from our friends Leslie and Sonny.  These are our friends that we were going to be staying with for the week.  You will hear about them in more detail later.  Leslie gave great directions and we ended up taking another cab to a bus station.  We got on the correct bus and proceeded to leave Manila.  At least we thought we were leaving Manila.  The traffic was so bad that it took us nearly three hours to get to the first stop that was supposed to be only an hour and a half away.  We finally made it to the Subic Bay area and met our friends.  A short ride to their home and we were finally at our destination.  It was quite the adventure just getting here.  I will share with you in the next blog all of the cool stuff we are doing while here in the Philippines.

Our bus from Manila to Olongopo.  Just Kidding!!!!

  Despite the time and delays, I considered it a rather fun trip.  I kept thinking, even when we were in traffic, it still wasn't as bad as the 30 hours our friends the Madsens were experiencing on the train going to Xian without a sleeping car.  30 hours in a train seat isn't appealing to me.  I know my brother Paul would have looked forward to that, NOT!!!!!!!!
  Until next week, Adios!!!!

Oh No!!! A Teenager in China!!!!

Looking over our neighborhood from the bridge.

 Hello Everyone.  I hope you had a great week.  This week's adventures centered around our oldest daughter becoming a teenager.  I know, just the word teenager strikes fear into the hearts of many.  No worries, Claire promised us that she wouldn't turn into a monster.  Taylor is not quite sure that it isn't going to happen yet.  Anyway, I had one or two experiences along the way but the weekend was Claire's.  I have also included a couple of photos from the neighborhood.  It was such a beautiful week, I felt I just needed to share.  So, here is this week's news.

SCHOOL:  Not much to report other than an apology was given.  Enough said!!

This is only half of the Canton Fair Facility.

 ADVENTURES:  The week started off with an adventure with my friend James to the Canton Fair.  Now, this is not your typical fair that you might think in the sense of carnival rides, deep fried everything and cotton candy.  The Canton Fair is the largest import/export fair in the world.  

For those of you that have been to the Del Mar Fair, put this impression in your mind.  Imagine the gadget section of the Del Mar Fair, but with four buildings the size of the entire fairgrounds.  Inside the buildings there are four floors each.  Now imagine everything that you can possibly purchase to repair, build or manufacture.  In one day, I made it with my friend James through two floors.  We spent most of our time on the building tools floor.  This one floor was like going to the tool section at Home Depot, but now the tool section is the size of the entire store with three more stories above.  Finally the other section we went to was the manufacturing section.  Ask me how something is made and I probably saw the machine that makes it.  One of the coolest machines was the machine that recycled plastic and turned it into the plastic fencing stuff that you see around events.  You know the stuff that is bright orange and has holes in it.  I can honestly tell you that I was happy to sit down when I got on the metro that evening.

 

Who says I don't have a green thumb!!  I don't even need to water.

  The rest of the week was pretty quite until we got to Claire's birthday on the weekend.  On Saturday the girls tutored and hung out and then we prepared for the evening's activities for Claire's Birthday.  Early in the day Cecelia and Taylor ran out to our little village.  They came back with a beautiful cake covered in

chocolate powder and chocolate flakes on the side.  This was Taylor's birthday present to Claire.  Cecelia and I did not buy Claire any presents, because her present is coming up next week when we go on a special trip.  You will just have to wait a couple of weeks to find out what she received!!!  Nothing like a little plug to keep you tuning into the blog.  In the evening, we did allow Claire to choose dinner and a special activity.  She chose sushi to the chagrine of Taylor and Cecelia.  Claire and I like the place that she chose, because it has one of those bars that has the sushi on different colored plates revolving around a center island.  You just grab the type that you like and stack the plates up in front of you.  When you are done eating, they total up the amount of your plates.  At least Cecelia and Taylor could order beef skewers to meet their nutritional needs.  After we ate our fill of sushi and other delicacies, we broke out the birthday cake.  Of course it was delicious.  On the inside it was a very light cake with pineapple filling.  Yum Pineapple!!!!!!  

  After dinner the girls met our friends the Madsons to see the movie "The Croogs in 3D.  Unfortunately I was not able to attend.  Because of my visual impairment, I am unable to see 3D because I get headaches from watching.  There has to be a lawsuit in there somewhere for not accommodating those of us that have the inability to see 3D or those stupid 3D pictures that everyone stares at in order to pick out the picture.  I think there is a conspiracy by my friends to try and drive me crazy when they see those pictures.  They all smugly say, "Oh yah, I can see the elephant in there."  "Can't you see it Rusty?"  as they laugh behind their hands.  I bet there isn't anything really there.  I do have some friends that would do that, they are called brothers. 

  Anyway, I will get back to the present.  After I dropped off the girls at the movies, I rode my moto over to the driving range to pick up my golf clubs.  I was picking them up, because I was going to be coaching the family that took us to the amazing resort I mentioned a few weeks back.  Just before I got to the range the wind started to blow heavily.  Thunder and Lightening began to develop as well.  As I parked my moto, a large lightening strike hit nearby and a huge thunderclap ensued.  With that done, the rain came down like a shower head.  Fortunately I was spared the rain, but I ended up being stuck at the driving range.  Now you wouldn't think in my case that this would be a bad thing right?  Wrong!!!!  As a golfer I have read too many stories about golfers being struck by lightening, because they happened to be holding up a stainless steal lightening rod in their hands.  Along with the continued rain, the thunder and lightening intensified.  It was quite the storm.  It rained so hard that I watched the driving range change from grass to a lake in literally ten minutes.  Even if I was stupid enough to hit balls, when you hit a ball it wouldn't have mattered.  There was so much water coming off the roof of the driving range that it practically knocked the ball down when they were hit.  How do I know this without hitting balls?  There were a few intrepid Chinese golfers still whacking away while the storm was going on. 

I thought that the rain would stop a little while after the rain started, but three hours later I had to be saved by my friend Michael who came to the range to practice.   After the movie, Cecelia put the girls in a taxi with the Madsens and then rode her scooter home.  At least she had a poncho and raincoat.  On the way back she told me a story while laughing about one section that she rode through that came up to her ankles while she was on the scooter.  It was a good thing that she was riding Paul's old scooter at the time.  We realized later that if she had been riding her scooter that she would have probably shorted out the batteries on hers, because the batteries on her scooter are in the floor.  We all made it home and dried off.  Claire had a great day and is looking forward to her present.  I have included a little present I made for her as well.  I have been waiting a long time to make this slide show.  The reason is because I found this song from Paul Simon and have wanted to use it for a special occasion.  I think becoming a teenager is a special enough occasion.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it.

  Remember, you should just be able to click the link below to see Claire's slideshow. 

https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=7749A94CA3CEB724!115&authkey=!AFo0yW78w8DmMhA 

You Know, It's The Simple Things Really!!!!

Now that is the way to think!!!!

 Hello Everyone.  I hope you all had a great week.  I want to thank all of you that sent me short notes of encouragement and prayer, after reading last week's blog.  I had a couple of people in particular that said the same thing that really helped.  Those two very wise individuals actually used the same word of encouragement, and that word was PERSPECTIVE!!!!  So with that being said, I come to you this week with that word blazoned on the forefront of my brain.  So enjoy this blog, because it is back to the perspective of why we came to China in the first place.

SCHOOL:  With my refreshed perspective on things, this week's school report is going to be short.  The only comment I am going to make is that after much reflection and soul searching, I came to the conclusion that it wasn't me that let the kids down, but the system of communication in which I work.  I have done the job that I was asked to do, it is just that I wasn't given all the information I needed at the beginning.  So, I fought back a bit this week and have gained a new PERSPECTIVE on what my role will be the rest of the year.  I am going to continue to do the best I can do in the current system, but not sweat the other stuff.  Also, for the rest of our time here, the school report is going to be very short unless something outstanding happens with one of the girls.  In no way am I going to let this incident tarnish the outstanding experience we have had in China.

ADVENTURES:  This week's adventures start with the little things.  What I mean is that to gain my rediscovered PERSPECTIVE I decided to focus on the small things that are around us that we really appreciate.  The first is of course, the massages. I have mentioned to you about them in past blogs and they are definitely worth mentioning again.  There is nothing better to help an attitude change than getting a 90 min. massage for  $40.
  The next thing to help change my attitude was getting a great haircut with a 20 minute scalp massage for $6. When they cut your hair over here, you get a shampoo and a scalp massage at the same time.  My scalp massage was so good that I almost fell asleep on the shampoo table.
  Finally, you can't beat simple individual dates with all of my best girls separately.
  I had lunch with Claire one rainy afternoon.  We donned the double poncho and rode the scooter to the new Italian restaurant nearby in the rain.  We had a great meal, some outstanding conversation and you just can't beat the price of eating out over here.  Our lunch cost around $12.  That included two calzones, broccoli, a plate of mozarella and tomatoes, and mushroom soup topped off with a beer and soda.
  The next day, Taylor and I went to Guangzhou and had a little get together while buying her some new tennis shoes.  After buying shoes and having an afternoon together we met Cecelia and Claire for dinner.  We all came to Guangzhou to meet my friend James that works for The First Tee of Contra Costa.  James lives part time in California and part time in China.  He owns a driving range and hotel in Shanghai so he has to come back periodically to check on things.  He also owns an import/export business that he runs in California.  It is amazing the emotions that you can have when seeing someone from back home.  It takes care of some of the home sickness that we have been experiencing lately, especially because of all the rain.  We had an outstanding dinner with him and really enjoyed the visit.  He and I planned to get together at least one more time before he goes home.
  Another thing that helped to change my attitude was driving by the park on the way home Saturday evening.  The evening was very pleasant.  One of the few nights without drizzle or rain.  The community was very active and there were a lot of people dancing in the park.  I observed the typical line dancing that goes on regularly, but there was also a group of people doing ballroom dancing.  They were all very good and really looked like they were enjoying themselves.  It was nice to see the smiles and hear the laughter in the warm air.

Confucius - " Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in getting up every time we do."

  Finally my awesome week of new PERSPECTIVE ended with a date to Guangzhou and the Cheng Family Temple in Foshan with just Cecelia.  We were originally going to take the entire family, but Claire had fallen down the stairs a couple of days before and twisted her ankle.  She felt like it was too tender to be doing any walking adventures, and Taylor decided that she wanted to stay home with her sister.  That left Cecelia and I to ourselves.  We had our friend Sam drive us to the Temple and drop us off.
  The Cheng Family Temple is one of two famous residences that this family lived and functioned in during some of the Chinese dynasties.  The first residence is in Guangzhou and is now the Art academy that I shared with you a few blogs back.  This residence is actually a school, temple and residence.  To our surprise we learned that this residence was the main home of a man identified as IP Man.  Now you may not recognize the name but this man has had a huge impact on the world as we know it.  We were amazed to discover that in this residence, in a place most of us have never heard about in China, was the father of modern day martial arts and Kung Fu.  Because of IP Man, we have been exposed in movies to great martial arts icons like Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan.  Both men had been trained or worked either, with or in one of IP Man's martial arts schools.  It was very interesting to see all of the training weapons, old videos and court yard in which school was held.  The other cool thing was to see the way the residence was laid out with the martial arts school on one side.  The Confucius learning Garden was opposite the martial arts school and the religious temple was placed in between.  You could tell that it was designed in a way to create balance in the lives of the students.
  After visiting the temple we rode the metro into Guangzhou and did some shopping before we headed back home.
  So, the day was beautiful and I was with a stunning woman discovering more of China.  I couldn't have asked for a better way to regain my PERSPECTIVE. 
   Finally, how could I not get back to a great frame of mind with the greatest golf tournament in the world going on during the weekend, The MASTERS!!!!  I had to get up very early to watch the back nine, but it was totally worth it. 
  It really is the simple things that we need to focus on to get back to where God wants us.  Until next week, enjoy the photos and the slideshow.
  Here is the new link to go to the slideshow:
https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=7749A94CA3CEB724!114&authkey=!ALHb3_RJfL9gyEQ